February 12, 1988
by JennieJoy72
Summary: In response to FB challenge from Lanie. 1000 words or less, single character, plot must be about a person in conflict with an object. Just remember, paper is an object. Without the title I came in at 999 words.


**February 12, 1988**

Lee Stetson sat at his desk in his office floors above all his co-workers. He sat there more often than not lately trying to come up with the perfect first wedding anniversary gift for his wonderful wife. He sat trying to decide what he could get the most special, most loving, most understanding woman in the world. Flowers, dinner together at the apartment, and some little trinket she could pass off to her family as a boyfriend present is the most likely scenario as to what his wife was expecting. He knew that in her first marriage that presents to and from Joe were things that had meaning to them. She was always trying to find the special gift for someone; he knew he could do no less in this matter.

He thought about the past year together as husband and wife and was surprised at the memories flooding his mind. The week before they were married he almost died, she never left him. The week they were clearing things up to leave for their wedding he not only got slightly shot, but they were almost late because of Nick Grant's married girlfriend. He had to admit he was slightly grateful for the slowness of the maid that first night. He was nervous. Yes, of course he and Amanda had been together before they were married, but now as her husband would it still be the same? He seemed to think that as a boyfriend there were no expectations in the bedroom, but as her husband the standards had to be higher, right? Then she was shot. She was shot and it wasn't even in the line of duty, it was because she finally stayed in the car. He couldn't remember ever a time after that telling her to stay in the car. The trouble of Jamie being jealous over Lee when if Jamie had just come to Lee he would have found out just how much Lee was jealous of him and his brother. They got to see and be with Amanda every day and every night. He went home to take out and an empty bed. That stupid list of her "faults" that he wrote. The list he wrote with all the things he loved about her, she laughed when she realized it was the same list with just a few more things listed. That was the one thing that Lee had learned from Amanda over the past year, you love someone for who they are faults and all.

Lee had never been accused of being a practical boyfriend or conventional husband, since no one but his wife knew that he was even a husband. He did figure that Billy may have known, but was respecting their privacy and waiting for them to bring it up.

Lee stood up from his desk and stretched his long frame as he walked to the window. They had a meeting downstairs in thirty minutes. She came in earlier with flowers from the garden, gave him a quick kiss, and alluded to the fact that it was Valentine's weekend, while asking him if he made any special plans with any special woman he may have in his life at the moment. He played her game, wrapped his arms around her, a said something to the effect that he had very special plans with someone very special and before he could kiss her the way he had been wanting, he wasn't a bit surprised by Francine walking in and stopping their playful game.

A game that is what his marriage was beginning to feel like to him. It was nothing for him to be sent away without her for assignments. Hell, just las month he was on a no contact mission for two weeks. Two weeks where his own wife and partner couldn't communicate with him. It is so rare for a married agent to get sent on those types of assignments. No one wants to make that trip to the widow's house to tell them that their husband died in a no contact, top secret, and highly dangerous operation. He did that once before, he wasn't going to do it again. Hell, in his case his uncle, not Amanda, would be told in private. Amanda, his wife, would be told at a briefing meeting in Billy's office with the blinds drawn, but everyone would know what the meeting was about, everyone but her. The flag would go to his uncle, not his wife. His grave would be marked as a loving nephew and a nation's hero. Not loving husband, not loving step father, nothing that Amanda would make sure was on there. It would be as if their life, what little life they were making, it would be as if it never existed. That isn't what he wanted when he asked her to marry him, and it wasn't what he thought when he asked her to keep it a secret. He was sure that it at the time he meant for it to be for safety reasons, now he knows it was just fear of being rejected by her family. Only they didn't reject him, he and Jamie were at a place where Jamie comes to him for advice now, he wasn't rejected.

He sat back down at his desk and looked at the papers in front of him. He went to the last page and highlighted the necessary areas. Picking the papers up, he neatly shuffled them together.

Walking into the conference room Lee stated to everyone in the room but was only looking at his wife, "Amanda King, paper is the traditional gift for a one year anniversary. In my hands is my present to you for the best year of my life as your husband. All you have to do is sign them and you are officially Amanda Stetson at least here at the agency. We can fill the family in later if you want."


End file.
